tranny heat exchanger

[KBecker443]

As i was installing a DPS compound set up on my truck i ran into a problem. The tranny heat exchanger that sits on the driver side of the block is in the way and has to be removed or relocated in order for my big turbo to fit, has anybody removed this or relocated it and how so?! any help is greatly appreciated as i have to figure this out by Friday night!

[pepsi71ocean]

You can have soft hydraulic hoses made up and then mount it on the frame, that's about the best you can do, or delete it completely and replace it with another set of coolers.

[Bullet]

On 1/3/2019 at 2:38 AM, KBecker443 said:

As i was installing a DPS compound set up on my truck i ran into a problem. The tranny heat exchanger that sits on the driver side of the block is in the way and has to be removed or relocated in order for my big turbo to fit, has anybody removed this or relocated it and how so?! any help is greatly appreciated as i have to figure this out by Friday night!

I have the DPS twins and installed them myself so I know exactly what you mean.  If you are going to relocate it (several threads on this), then you will have to replumb all the lines yourself and fabricate a new way to remount it.  If you remove it completely which is what I did, I simply disconnected it from all trans and coolant lines and unbolted it.

 

For my trans lines I cut them where they branched off to go to the heat exchanger on the driver's side of the tyranny.  I cut them in a way that would allow me to run straight from the trans to the front cooler and then straight back to the transmission.  I used scrap cut pieces of the line I removed to help with making the new line (looks good).  I connected them back with 1/2" compression unions from the hardware store.  You will lose about 2-3 quarts of tranny fluid.

 

For the coolant lines I removed them completely and ended up making my own coolant line from heater core back to the coolant supply.  I cut up the old metal coolant lines and mated them to the rubber hose to make the custom line.  My line runs from heater core straight over to the air conditioner dryer, straight down it to the frame rail, down the frame rail and 90 degree back to the coolant supply.  The other fittings were plugged at the block and plugged at coolant supply.  My line is perfect...doesn't even come close to interfering with anything turbo.

 

If you request I can take some pics to show what I'm talking about. 

[KBecker443]

@Bullet did you have any shifting issues after removing that exchanger? Didn’t have any shifting issues before and now the truck doesn’t seem to want to shift out of 1st gear. Going to drop the pan and valve body this weekend and see if I can find anything 

[Bullet]

3 minutes ago, KBecker443 said:

@Bullet did you have any shifting issues after removing that exchanger? Didn’t have any shifting issues before and now the truck doesn’t seem to want to shift out of 1st gear. Going to drop the pan and valve body this weekend and see if I can find anything 

None at all, the heat exchanger has nothing to do with any function of the trans other than the assistance of bringing the trans fluid up to operating temp (main function) and secondarily helping to cool overheated trans fluid. 

 

About the only way I can see it affecting shifting is if the lines were reinstalled backwards from how they are supposed to be.  Front line is out to trans cooler, back line is in from trans cooler. 

[Dynamic]

Old thread, I know. But I wanted to clear up the fact that the heat exchanger is not there to bring the fluid up to temperature. It is there to cool the extremely hot fluid coming from the torque converter when working it hard.

[army_greywolf]

Yes and no.  Stock, yes, its best at dropping the hot side temp coming out of the trans.  In my application I removed the valve and the stock fittings for JIC to gray parker push loc+ fittings and hose.  I'm thankful it does do some heating in the winter (I have the sonnax kit and park fluid flow mods) When I start it up before heading out to plow it will high idle and the trans temp generally matches the coolant temp until I get going, when it starts to come down again.   

[Evan]

I agree my mind says its function is to bring temp up to operating. I guess if transmission did get to 190 it might make it hold at 190 more solid instead of rising right passed

My tranny runs well under 150 . If I run to store a quick 10 minute drive it come up to maybe 110 will cruise down freeway empty about there to. Even towing 130.

 

Hottest temps I see 150-60 standing in stop and go traffic Mike's fan idea sounds good but I just dont think it will make a difference with fluid nit miving much

 

[Dynamic]

If coolant temp flowing through the heat exchanger is higher than the ATF flowing through the heat exchanger, then yes, there will be a heating effect on the fluid. But the designed purpose of the heat exchanger is to cool the 260-280 degree fluid that comes out of the converter at times quickly and efficiently down to (or near to) the temperature of the coolant. A fluid-to-fluid heat exchange is very efficient, but obviously you're limited as to how much you can cool something by the temperature of your coolant.

 

With the 3rd Gen guys, who are removing their heat exchangers quite a bit, I have found the Derale 15870 fan-cooled setup plumbed into the return to the transmission to be a suitable replacement, and it does a great job of alleviating the temperature problems that they inevitably experience when removing the exchanger from the system.

[Bullet]

That Derale is a nice piece.  I was gonna get one since I removed my heat exchanger but I just haven't seen the high temps I was expecting.  I hot rod it mostly and only tow a bass boat.  But so far so good. 

[98whitelightnin]

I ran that derale 15870 on my 95 after the compounds and it did a great job keeping everything cool. Only turned the fans on a few times in slow moving stop and go.

[Evan]

What temps are you guys seeing. Empty I'm 110 120 on free way 130s loaded towing flat highest I've seen is 160s in stop and go traffic.

I've never seen it get any close to 190 my gauge is on pan so its reading 9 or so quarts of fluid maybe 10. 

[Bullet]

My gauge is in the hot line and I see a stable 150 driving around town.  180-185 in traffic...195 is the highest I've seen.  These figures are all post heat exchanger removal for compounds.